1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates in general to computer programs and files, and more particularly to an association between a computer program and a file.
2. Description of the Related Art
Users developing e-business applications on an integrated development environment (IDE) are challenged with the need to uniquely identify and associate various file types and artifacts from multiple disparate platforms with the appropriate viewers, editors, and transformation tools compatible with the characteristics and attributes of those objects. Use of an inappropriate viewer, editor, or transformation tool may not only cause the selected action to fail, it may also corrupt a file and cause a loss of data.
For example, IBM S/390 files do not have an associated file type (IBM and S/390 are registered trademarks of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both). If a S/390 file is downloaded to a user workstation, the need exists to correctly identify this S/390 file based upon its file attributes and characteristics. The need also exists to subsequently designate the correct association with tools available on the IDE which may operate on this S/390 file, as well as ascertain and designate an appropriate level of accessibility of this file. These needs are critical in the preservation of the file's integrity and accessibility.
Thus a user needs a way to uniquely identify and associate a file type with an artifact based upon an analysis of the file's attributes and characteristics.
The user also needs to associate a unique and easily discernible visual cue to the file or artifact to allow easy and rapid identification among the other file types or artifacts which may have originated from similar or disparate platforms which also reside within the integrated development environment.
The user also needs to associate appropriate and specialized actions to the file or artifact to allow the user to interact with it in a manner consistent and correct with its originating platform. This includes actions which may be performed back on the originating platform (e.g. compile, link, etc.).
The user also needs to deduce whether or not the file or artifact is read-only or read-writable based upon the attributes of the file or artifact as well as the user's authorization privileges.
These needs apply to files and artifacts which are brought into the IDE from the different platforms as well as file and artifacts which are created on the IDE platform.
There is also a need to identify the source from where the file or artifact originated so that an action to be performed on the artifact is forwarded to the appropriate platform, e.g., if the artifact is an IBM OS/390 COBOL program which originated on a OS/390 system, then a compilation and linkedit should preferably be performed on the OS/390 system from where the artifact originated (OS/390 is a registered trademark of International Business Machines Corporation in the United States, other countries, or both).
There is also a need for a mechanism to uniquely identify and associate various files and artifacts from multiple disparate platforms with the appropriate viewers, editors, and transformation tools to provide correct interaction with the files and artifacts in a manner consistent to its originating platform.
Correctly associating the appropriate viewers, editors, and transformation tools to the files and artifacts from the multiple disparate platforms in concert with the capability to correctly deduce accessibility attributes reduces the corruption of files and loss of data which otherwise may be caused through the accidental or intentional usage of inappropriate viewers, viewers and transformation tools on the files and artifacts.
Conventional systems and methods have failed to provide all of the above advantages. Thus, there is a clearly felt need for a method of, system for, article of manufacture, and computer program product for providing remote installation and deployment with these advantages.